As a passionate science communicator, I love inspiring
people with science – and I particularly relish the challenge of reaching out to
those who normally have little contact with science. It has long been my
ambition to organise an event specifically aimed at the mental health community.
So when I saw the announcement for the British Science Association’s ‘Connecting
Communities’ Grant Scheme, my brain went into overdrive. And that’s how ‘The
Science of Wellness’ was born!
The idea was that the participants themselves would become
the scientists and do their own experiment to try and boost their mood and
wellbeing. Our role as British Science Association volunteers would be to
present the scientific evidence for different strategies said to improve mental
wellbeing and help them design a robust way to test one of them. But first we
needed a partner to help us reach our target audience. Here we were lucky to
find Sheffield Flourish, a local organisation that supports people with mental
health conditions to live as full lives as possible. We wanted to make sure
that the participants had an active role in shaping the project so Sheffield Flourish
convened a focus group to decide the themes we would focus on. These became
Foods to Improve Mood; Spending time with Nature; Exercise for Mental Wellbeing;
Mindfulness; Creative Activities and Reading/Sharing Life Stories.
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| Learning how positive storytelling can improve wellbeing |
To present the
scientific evidence in a fun and interactive way (no boring PowerPoint
presentations!) we decided to use a ' speed dating' format, where participants
spent ten minutes at each station before moving round to the next. During the
planning meetings, we were amazed to find out about how much research has already
been done – there are even journals on wellbeing and happiness!
Our hard work was rewarded on the night as we had an amazing
turnout from the Sheffield Flourish community and also wider members of the
public. The speed-dating format seemed to work very well: the audience were so
engrossed that I had to shout to be heard over the hubbub. After all the
talking, it was time for refreshments. We had carefully chosen these to include
a range of super- mood-boosting superfoods including omega-3 rich mackerel
pate, magnesium loaded almonds and walnuts, low GI pitta breads and hummus and
the runaway favourite, homemade banana bread.
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One BSA volunteer getting a bit excited over the refreshment buffet...
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Having heard all the evidence, we then gave each participant
their very own lab book and experiment planning began. From taking a daily
brisk walk to knitting to dancing – a whole range of different activities were
chosen. The evening ended on a real high, buoyed up with optimism and plans. We couldn’t wait to hear how everybody got on!
A month later, we had our chance during our Follow-Up Event.
There were some truly inspiring accounts, including the group of women who
formed a creative writing club, the lady who practised gratitude with her
children and the gentleman who brought along a stunning art work he had made
out of drawing pins. Not everyone had managed to complete their experiments, with
some feeling that they had been too ambitious. But we were keen to stress that this
need only be the be the beginning of their experiments and that wellbeing
should be seen more of a continuous journey.
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| Presenting the evidence that mindfulness works during our 'speed-dating' event |
This was clearly illustrated
by our guest speaker Natalie Beevers, mindfulness practitioner and author of the
Being Mindful Yorkshire Blog. Her frank and moving testimony demonstrated how
making time for things that make us feel positive creates a firmer foundation
for when things get tough. When her marriage fell apart, Natalie found herself
thrust into a deep depression. As she put it: “My brain was like treacle but it
wouldn’t stop talking…I was too exhausted and had no energy even to do the
things I loved”. Things only started to improve when she came across
mindfulness by chance at a work event: “It was a way of getting my thoughts to
slow down my acknowledging them” she said. Other daily habits, such as yoga and
walking through the park each day also had an effect. “The combination of small
doses really seemed to work” she said. Whilst these could not prevent Natalie from
having a relapse a few months later, crucially “they gave me the tools to get
back out of the hole again”.
It’s an incentive to us all to continue to experiment in
finding more tools to keep us on the road to wellbeing. As Natalie said in
closing: “'No matter the catalyst for your down turning mood it should never be
swept under the carpet”.
It may be the end of The Science of Wellness but really, the
journey has only just begun! As for myself, I have learnt so much from this experience, including event management, applying for grants, event promotion ...even doing my first online grocery shop. And it's only made me hungry to do more.... where will BSA Sheffield go next?
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| My team of wonderful BSA Sheffield volunteers! |
You can find more photos from The Science of Wellness and the Follow Up Event on our Facebook Page. Do Like it to keep up to date about future BSA Sheffield events! You can also follow us on Twitter @BSA_Sheffield
